Page 35 of Wolf Promise

A giggle escaped Regie's throat. She’d never done anything this daring before. She shook her head. What if someone had seen them? What if someone had taken a picture of them?

Somehow, she'd forgotten about the IPO, about having to always appear professional, about having a reputation to uphold. She’d only noticed Bolt and how good it had felt to be in his arms on the dance floor. When he'd grabbed her hand and led her outside, she hadn't hesitated for even a moment. He’d utterly mesmerized her.

She would have followed him anywhere, done anything.

"This isn't me," she whispered out loud.

"What's that?" Nora asked as she pushed the door open. She looked around the room and frowned when she didn’t see anyone. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course." Regie busied herself with the paper towel dispenser. Just talking to myself in the mirror, like a deranged woman. She poured cold water over the disposable material and pressed it to her cheeks. "I just got a little overheated."

The other woman met her gaze in the mirror and quirked an eyebrow. "Out on the cold balcony?" She gestured to Bolt's jacket, still draped over Regie's shoulders. "Maybe you should take that off."

Heat crawled up Regie's cheeks. The cold paper towel had no effect. "Yeah...I...um," she mumbled.

Nora chuckled. "It's okay. If I'd brought a hunky date, I'd be out on the balcony for some private time too."

"It wasn't like that." Regie stopped. It was exactly like that and much more. She studied the other woman. Nora had a relationship with Ulf now, but had she and Bolt been more than colleagues at some part? A sharp pain jabbed her in the middle of her ribs at the thought. She had no right to resent Nora if she and Bolt had been together in the past, but she did.

Regie and Bolt were just pretend. Weren't they? She hadn't pretended when they'd been together outside.

Had he?

Did his behavior fit in with the role he played? If so, that was all kinds of messed up on so many levels.She threw the paper towel in the waste bin with more force than necessary.

"There seems to be some crud on the jacket," Nora said, brushing her hand down Regie's back. "What is that?"

Regie slid the garment off her shoulders and swung it around so she could see the back. Dust covered the black fabric. "I don't know," she lied. The wall Bolt had pushed her up against must have been dirty.

Nora threw her a look, but didn't say anything. Instead, she got a dry paper towel and used it as an impromptu lint brush. "There," she said when most of the dust had been cleared off the cloth. "It's not perfect, but it's good enough."

"Were you and Bolt ever a couple?" Regie blurted out.

"No," Nora shot her a look. "Gross. That would be like making out with my brother." She lifted her chin, her lips stretched in a sexy grin. "I have my hands full with Ulf."

Regie looked down and fiddled with her clutch. "I’m sorry. I’m an idiot for being possessive of him. I know all of this is only pretend.” As much as she wanted it to be different, she needed to get that straight.

Nora paused until Regie looked up at her. "Appearing to be a couple is one thing. Doing things a couple would do is another." She tilted her head. "Did he do something that made you feel uncomfortable?"

Regie blushed again. "No, nothing like that."She’d been very comfortable. Way too comfortable. And satisfied. Very satisfied.

Nora nodded. "I didn't think he would. Bolt is a stand-up guy. I love him like a brother, but I still needed to check." She took a step toward the door. "Are you ready to go back out there?"

"You go ahead. I'll catch up with you." She needed a few more minutes to herself.

"Actually, you can't be on your own. That's why I followed you in here. One of us needs to be with you at all times." She opened the door. "But as long as nobody else enters, I'll just be right outside. Take as long as you need." With an apologetic smile, she left. A burst of loud music reached Regie's ears before the door closed again.

She took a deep breath to center herself. For just a moment, she'd forgotten about the stalker and the death threats.

Bolt had made that happen, had made her forget.

She bit her lip, not sure how she felt about him having that much power over her. And what if it had been just a game of pretending for him? He'd been attracted to her—she'd felt his erection—but did he feel anything else for her?

How did she feel about him?

She couldn’t unravel all the complications of that thought tonight.

She needed to focus on tonight's original purpose, which was to appear with Bolt in public and announcing him as her fiancé. She'd pose for more pictures with him and formally introduce Bolt to the journalists and photographers.